Ever After
by Kurissyma san Tybalt
Summary: Pino has an idea, Real dismisses it... but is she more interested than she claims to be? Real/Vincent oneshot. Post-series


AN/ My first Ergo Proxy fanfic. Set after the series and written from Real's point of view, and inspired by what we heard of her diary. I wrote this so long ago it's not even funny… x.x

"Real-Real, Have you ever been in love?"

"That's a silly question for an autorave to ask," I say.

"Have you?"

I am silent.

Perhaps she takes this as permission to go on.

"The other Real was in love with Vince-sama, wasn't she? Are you in love with Vince-sama too?"

"Deadalus' creation has nothing to do with me."

The autorave blows into her little instrument thoughtfully. The note is a C flat. "Vince-sama likes you a lot," she says.

"So did Iggy. And Ojiisama." I feel compelled to say this.

"But they're dead." She says it bluntly.

That's true, though. We are silent. I am thinking.

"…Even if I were to lo-"

"Dinner's ready!"

The autorave and I exchange glances as Vincent appears in the doorway.

"Huh? Am I interrupting something?"

I look away.

"We were just talking about you, Vince-sama!"

Is she going to tell him what we said? Yes, she is, I decided.

"About me?" Vincent repeats.

I stand up, still looking away. "Did you say that dinner's ready? I'm starved."

I leave the room.

-

It's been three years since the day that Romdeau almost fell. So much has changed and yet so much is the same.

Pino is still Pino.

Vincent is still _painfully_ Vincent-like.

And me. I'm just the same as always too.

At least, I think so.

-

The clock reads 7:59:54.

I hit the snooze and get out of bed.

We don't really have an aim right now but I'm surprised to find that I don't care. Maybe I'm just getting lazy.

I do 50 one-handed push-ups. Then another 10.

Just in case.

The infected autorave sits on my back for 29 of them.

-

1030 hours.

"Real-Real?"

This is the autorave talking again.

"Mmm?" The small hum is my only reply.

"Can I read my story to you?" she asks.

I close my diary in silent submission.

"It's about a princess! I named her Real after you! Can I start now?"

"Go ahead," I say.

She opens the book. The letters are large and clumsy and there is a scribbled picture at the bottom of each page. I recognize myself on the first by the large blue circles around the character's eyes.

"Once upon a time," she begins, "There was a beautiful princess named Real. She lived in a big castle ruled by her Ojiisan."

She turns the page.

"One day, a handsome prince came riding in on his horse and fell in love with the princess. His name was Vince-sama."

She turns the page.

"But Real didn't like Vince-sama because he was different from her and when the moon was full he turned into a big scary beastie."

She turns the page.

"But Vince-sama still loved Real, even though she said to him that one day she would kill him. When she said that, Vince-sama just looked sad."

She looks sad too as she turns the page.

"Vince-sama had a friend, who was not an autorave but a girl, who was called Pino."

She turns the page.

"Pino was Vince-sama's best friend ever because she did not care that Vince-sama was a monster."

She turns the page.

"Pino told Real that Vince-sama was nice, even when he looked like a monster and Real started to fall in love with him too."

She turns the page. It's blank and she frowns.

"…It's not done yet… Because I don't know how two people who are in love are supposed to tell each other and live happily ever after. It seems hard."

"I'm sure it is," I say, but I don't know because I have never tried.

I return to my diary.

Am I paranoid or does the infected autorave want to see me with Vincent? Gods, I'm losing it.

She looks happier now and is smiling widely. "Did you like my story, Real-Real?" she asks.

I don't know what to say. "Yes," is my answer.

It pleases her. "Yay! I'm gonna go tell it to Vince-sama!"

I wonder what he will say when he hears it, but even though I am curious, I do not follow her.

She skips off. I don't think she even notices when she trips on the way out, she just gets up again and keeps moving.

Sometimes I don't understand her.

-

1534 hours.

I am standing out on the deck of the Rabbit. Vincent is behind me, staring at the back of my head.

He has been doing this for approximately 3 minutes and 26 seconds.

"I heard that Pino told you her story earlier too."

I frown. "She's still copying things. It's not her story- it's us. She wasn't created with the sophistication to be able to think independently."

"If it's us, then you would have to be in love with me," he says and my eyes narrow slightly.

"Maybe she is becoming slightly more creative," I decide grudgingly.

Laughter.

"Or maybe she is just extremely perceptive."

I frown deeper. "I don't think so."

He laughs again. Is he teasing me?

"I notice that you're not defending yourself," I say.

"Huh?" Vincent stops laughing.

"She said that you were in love with me too," I remind him.

"But you knew that already," he replies as though it were obvious. Was it obvious?

And did I? Did I know that already?

Maybe I did.

Did it change anything- hearing him say it?

I wasn't sure about that either.

Maybe it did.

"Right?" says Vincent.

"I don't know," I say, because I don't.

"I've told you so before, Real- don't you believe it?"

Sometimes I did. I said this.

"Only sometimes?" he asks and he sounds sad.

"Sometimes I don't want to," I say.

"Oh…"

He doesn't say anything else, and I leave the room.

-

Vincent is in love with me.

Am I happy or sad? I don't know.

Maybe I am a little of both. Maybe a little scared too.

But if Pino –I mean, 'the infected autorave'- was right about him, could she be right about me as well? And if so, how do I end the story?

-

Dinner was quiet.

-

The clock reads 7:59:52.

I hit the snooze but I don't get out of bed. I'm not tired- I just don't feel like moving. Pi- the Infected Autorave bounces into the room and looks surprised to see me still in bed. Can autoraves look surprised? She does.

"Real-Real, wake up! I finished my story!!"

"…You finished…?" I sit up.

"Yeah! Wanna hear it?!"

I cross my legs beneath me and nod my consent.

"One day, Real said to Vince-sama 'I love you' and Vince-sama said to Real 'I love you too' because he did. Then Real kissed Vince-sama which made him very happy and they both lived happily ever after with the girl, who was not an autorave, called Pino. THE END!!"

I found myself smiling a little at that. "Very good," I said.

"Happy Ever After, Real," she told me, as though it were as simple as saying 'Happy Birthday'.

I smiled as Vincent walked into the room. Maybe it was?

He smiled back at me and said hello.

I kissed him and said: "Happy Ever After, Vincent.


End file.
